50,000 students. 69 locations. Inside the school nutrition operation feeding Henrico County

HENRICO COUNTY, Va. —The school cafeteria has come a long way from mystery meat and chocolate milk.

At Godwin High School in Henrico County, students can build their own burger — one of several restaurant-style options now available in the county's middle and high schools.

"In middle and high school, we're offering this build your own burger concept, which is what you see today," said Dana Whitney, Director of School Nutrition Services for Henrico County Public Schools.

Whitney oversees a school nutrition operation that serves more than 50,000 students across 69 locations countywide — including 1,600 students at Godwin High School alone.

"We operate 69 locations, so think of us as a chain restaurant," she said. "That's chain restaurant times 10."

Feeding a County — Five Days a Week

Making that happen requires precision. At Godwin, Cafeteria Manager Simon Harik runs a kitchen of just 10 staff members.

"It also involves you having a good crew. You train them well, you gather to understand what we're doing. I think I have the best crew around in Henrico County," Harik said.

For Harik and his team, the work goes beyond food service.

"Everybody understands that we have to have the best product out there for the child. And that's how we take care of them," he said.

Menus Designed to Keep Students Coming Back

Whitney says the menu is intentionally designed to compete with fast food — within the boundaries of federal nutrition guidelines.

"It's our job to get creative within the government regulations to kind of push the envelope with the variety, the diversity," she said. "Hopefully the menu really draws the kids in, knowing the entrée is what really brings the customer in — and then what can we do to keep them as a customer during their whole academic career."

Whitney says the operation relies heavily on government funding to prepare what she describes as millions of dollars worth of entrées, fresh fruits, and vegetables each year.

Recognizing the People Behind the Food

National School Lunch Week, observed each October, is meant to shine a light on the work that often goes unnoticed.

"There are hundreds of thousands of school nutrition professionals around the country that work so hard every day with maybe not a lot of visibility for just how hard this work is," Whitney said.

"So I think National School Lunch Week is a great opportunity to understand the people behind the product — and also showcasing the hard work that all the people around this county do."

Whitney put it simply: "It's the staff behind the food. It's the staff behind the smile."

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